Deep in the rugged mountains of Northeast India, lies the lush and fertile Ziro Valley, land of the Apatani tribe (one of the many friendly tribes of Arunachal Pradesh), a region of pine forests, rice fields, bamboo houses, traditional villages and scenic landscapes. The very peaceful Ziro Valley, in the remote and picturesque state of […]

The Tawang Monastery is easily one of the most recognizable landmarks in Arunachal Pradesh. Indeed, the iconic structure is one of the reasons why many people are initially allured towards the wild, mountainous Indian state, although many travelers also very swiftly fall in love with Arunachal’s natural beauty. Besides the Tawang Monastery, other places to […]

Have you considered traveling to Arunachal Pradesh in Northeast India? The mountainous state is home to a few of the last unexplored places in the world, where traveling is as difficult as it gets, but more rewarding than anything we’ve ever experienced before. The villages of Dirang and Bomdila in West Kameng, are a popular […]

Cheeky Passports’ Favourite Instagram Shots

Instagram is one of our favourite social media platforms, yet it takes a lot of work to plan ahead and choose what photos to post. Here’s a small collection of Cheeky Passports’ favourite Instagram shots taken over the past months. Remember you can get a daily dose of our pictures by following our Instagram account CheekyPassports!

Cheeky Passports’ Favourite Instagram Shots

That time we almost fell off a cliff offroading – Ushguli

Ushguli, a remote, fairtytale village in the Svaneti region of Georgia, reputedly the highest village in Europe, is a town which is extremely difficult to access. Locals insist that only experienced drivers be allowed to make their way to this remote town, and by driving, we mean a good rough hour bouncing over dirt tracks and rough terrain in a specially equipped 4×4.

A different side to a living legend – Buscalan

A different side to Apo Whang-Od, have you ever seen her dancing? We snapped this photo on our visit to the town of Buscalan, a town famous for its 100 year old tattooist. Yet on this particular day, Apo Whang-Od took a well-deserved break from her tattoo work and joined in the festival fun (a particularly important birthday party). And we must say that considering her age, she’s looking great!

Monkey Business at the Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu

Both of us love animals, we really do, and we take animal welfare seriously, including missing out on popular tourist ‘attractions’ which are known to abuse animals. But then you get monkeys, some of which you’d love to hit hard on the head with a bat (**do not take this literally, we do not condone mistreatment of animals!). Better described as pests, monkeys are nothing short of an infestation in many areas of Asia. They are cheeky (hqqq-hmmm), annoying, vindictive and as many unlucky tourist get to discover, kleptomania-cal! Yet, whilst visiting the most sacred temple in Kathmandu, we stumbled upon this family, and couldn’t keep thinking just how cute they looked. All is forgiven(ish) Monkey-Orribilus (whatever your latin nomenclature is), you’ve also made it to our list of favourite instagram posts!

THE sandy beach – Cresta De Gallo, Sibuyan, Philippines

We ourselves hail from a mediterranean island popular for it’s coast and beaches. We have also travelled extensively and visited many great beaches in many countries and across many continents. Yet, if you ask us which beach is our favourite, we would not hesitate to mention Cresta de Gallo. It is therefore no surprise that this photo made it to our favourite Instagram posts! Getting there is a huge headache (rendered easier for you by our own guide), but well worth the visit, including a longer stay in neighbouring Sibuyan island.

Incy Wincy Spider – Kawasan Falls, Philippines

This natural beauty did not come out of a water spout, as the nursery rhyme goes, but was observed on our trek towards Kawasan Falls. We noticed it weaving its web with engineering precision, totally undisturbed by our intrusive presence. We also had the opportunity to take a short video of the event which we posted on our Facebook page.

Balancing Act at Inle Lake, Myanmar

Myanmar is a truly magical place, and Inle Lake is particularly charming. Fishermen on the lake follow a procedure whereby they balance carefully on one leg and wrap their second leg around the oar to steer their boat across the lake. In this way, they can look for fish whilst keeping their hands free to throw in the nets used to catch them . The fisherman made it to our list of favourite Instagram posts, the fish made it to our plate!

Skinning Dipping – Bohol, Philippines

After a day travelling around Bohol on a scooter, we arrived at Mag-Aso waterfalls for a short rest. There we met a group of kids who (we originally thought) were playing on one edge of the river. It turned out that they had just slaughtered a chicken and were skinning the carcass and rinsing (dipping) it in the river, in preparation for grilling on a BBQ which they had built out of empty coconut shells! I must have missed this particular Mac Gyver episode!

No stone unturned – Noratus Cemetery, Armenia

Carved memorial stones are a common sight in Armenia having roots way back to the medieval christian era. Known as a Kachkar, they are typically adorned with a rosette and a solar disk or in more intricate designs include biblical figures. The oldest and largest collection can be found at the Noratus Cemetery, with some which date back to the 10th century. The cemetery grounds, located in a very rural area are (freely) open to public and their sheep, as is the case here!

Is that a huge wave behind that church? – Stepantsminda, Georgia

The Gergeti Sameba church in the town of Stepantsminda, Georgia (formely known as Kazbegi) is famous for the awe-inspiring background of Mount Kazbek, standing on the other side of the valley. The white rippled snow wall behind, gives the illusion that a huge wave is crushing down on the small church, making this one of the favourite Instagram shots in our collection. For some, this alone is not sufficient adrenaline rush. On the other hand, getting to the church is quite an adventure. You can either get there on your own by offroad-ing your way (in an appropriate 4×4) to the top, or else grab a seat on a very pimped up minivan from the center of the town below and let the crazy driver gamble with your life for a whole 30 minutes up. Whatever your preference, it is surely worth your while!

Salt Pans, Qbajjar, Gozo

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